Springtime Allergies & Ulcerative Colitis: Not a Good Combination

When one thing goes wrong, it seems that everything else is bound to go wrong, too. This is how I felt when my normal bout with spring allergies was accompanied for the first time by ulcerative colitis.

I went for the first thirteen years of my life without suffering allergies. I went about my spring like anyone else my age, spending plenty of time outside and not worrying about anything. But then in the spring of my eighth grade year, I came in from the first softball game of the year with itchy, watery eyes and a runny nose that just wouldn't quit. I couldn't stop sneezing, and my eyes were so swollen it looked as though I had been crying for approximately six months. Every year since then, I have avoided going outside between April and June at all costs.

When I was seventeen, the yearly ritual of my allergy suffering was combined with the chronic condition that I somehow contracted that year called ulcerative colitis. As comical as it may sound, the one of the biggest complications of this combinations of ailments was the fact that I now needed to be careful and aware of the fragile nature of my bowels, but was unable to do so with the constant sneezing. If you are desperately trying to make sure that you don't embarrass yourself in public, and then are consumed with a fit of sneezing, terrible things can happen. I luckily managed to avoid such occurrences, but believe me, the horrific possibilities of a self-inflicted ulcerative colitis incident did certainly cross my mind.

Aside from the dangerous implications of the annoying duo of ulcerative colitis and spring allergies, the combo of these just makes you feel downright awful all the time. Your stomach hurts, you have terrible cramps, and you sinuses won't leave you alone. It was kind of like having a stomach flu and a head cold all at the same time, except for the knowledge that it wouldn't get any better until my allergies went away, and even then I would still be stuck with the digestive horrors.

The only way to combat having allergies and UC at the same time is to battle each separately. I have never been one for medications, so what I do is to take care of the UC with psyllium seed. I just drop a tablespoon or so of psyllium seed husk powder into a glass of orange juice in the morning, and it greatly reduces my UC symptoms without being on steroids at all. I also, of course, am very careful of what I eat during this time. This leaves me free to take care of my allergies with a bit of medication, as I am not tossing a bunch of chemicals into my body for the UC. A natural remedy for allergies that some have found helpful is nettle, an herb that can be found in health food stores in capsules or loose. However, I find that a generic version of Claritin works very well for me. It is less expensive, and works well enough to allow me to go on with my life.

Combining ulcerative colitis with any other ailment can become overwhelming, but it need rule your life in any case. Treat your UC first, and then work on the other things that are wrong with you, and you can find a good balance.